Tallgrass Kitchen

Twist on gin sour warms the winter soul

The Fitzgerald combines gin and orange bitters.

Cocktail offers a toast to holiday season

The cookies are eaten and the stockings stuffed. The gifts are opened and most of the celebrating drawn to a close. The guests have left and the traveling is done.

But it's not New Year's, so no one's at the gym yet. I don't know about you, but I could use a drink.

After writing a story on classic cocktails this past summer, I've spent time and my extra cash stocking a decent home bar. It's been a blast researching recipes and tweaking ratios and simple syrup infusions to suit my tastes. And it's fun to play barchef for my husband and visitors.

A nightcap is relaxing and warming on these chilly winter evenings, especially now that the holiday hustle and bustle is over. Plus, why not practice your mixing skills before New Year's Eve?

There will be plenty of time to focus on robust good health once 2014 begins. We have lots of wholesome recipes planned for you. But until then, let's embrace our inner Frank Sinatra and mix up a cocktail.

Gin is a summery spirit, but with the right accompaniments it can be brought around to this side of the solstice. This balanced cocktail will even appeal to those who claim to be wary of gin. I, too, was once one of those people, but I was convinced otherwise by a well-made Aviation (gin, lemon juice, Crème de Violette).

As a cook, I find cocktail recipes utterly charming. The process is thoughtful and simple, but small additions or detractions create new intrigue. And gratification is instant. A hankering for chocolate chip cookies can be satisfied in 30 minutes, but a cocktail can be mixed up in three.

This drink is called a Fitzgerald. Essentially it's a gin sour, but the addition of bitters makes all the difference. Bitters add a depth and roundness to a drink that propel it from standard to sexy.

Here I used orange bitters from Bittercube (developed in Milwaukee and made in Madison). Any orange bitters can be used, but Bittercube's version has toasty spice and caramel notes that play beautifully against the aromas in the simple syrup.

The inclusion of warm, winter spices in the simple syrup add a hint of Christmas past. The syrup can be mixed up anytime and will store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for weeks.